Recipe: Summer Chickpea Kale Salad with Feta, Olives & Basil

Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Hey all! Hoping everyone had a great week! Today’s post is a quickie as I head off to a day of discussion, sharing, driving & fun with a big group of my co-workers somewhere deep, deep in the woods where cell phones don’t work. Yup, it’s time for our annual team building retreat weekend in the BC Wilderness where the bears roam freely and so do the ideas. But don’t worry, we will be in cabins safe & sound I have to duck out early to be back for a special event this weekend, which means driving 3 hours home to get back for the morning. It’s going to be a big day, and one I am really looking forward to (a long summer nights drive alone with good music? My kind of fun).

This recipe was conceived last weekend after drooling over two recipes on fave blogs of mine. While my blog reading has been almost non-existent this summer (something I miss), I do know a hit of inspiration when I see one, and when these two ladies posted recipes with similar summer ingredients within what seemed like a week of each other, my brain was stuck with no turning back.

I present to you a killer combination of many of my favorite things. With summer bounty everywhere and basil & tomatoes by the bucketful, this salad brings together wonderful vibrant flavors, gorgeous color, and loads of good healthy veggie vibes all ’round. It’s a goodie.

The Less:

Less traditional bean salad means more imagination in your mealtimes. Less grain based dishes means fueling up on veggies & proteins. Fewer cooked foods in the summer means more enzymes in your vegetables, so enjoying their peak of freshness brings extra life & vital energy.

The More:

More home-cooked chickpeas means less waste & cost of recycling. More kale in your meals means more super-food nutrition. More brightness on your plate means more smiles during meal times, so food can be a feast for the eyes and for the tummy.

Summer Chickpea Kale Salad with Feta, Olives & Basil:

(4) cups cooked chickpeas* (2 19 oz. cans)

(2-3) cups packed green curly kale, minced

(1/3) cup kalamata olives, pitted & minced finely (about 20)

(1/2) cup cubed feta cheese

(1) clove garlic, minced

1/4) cup minced red onion (optional)

(4) tbsp olive oil

(2-3) tbsp red wine vinegar

(1) tsp salt (or to taste)

black pepper to taste

(1) pint cherry tomatoes

fresh basil leaves (from the garden or about one 6-8 leaves)

Combine the beans, chopped kale, olives, feta, garlic & red onion (if using) and toss gently together. Stir in the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt & pepper and adjust to taste. Mix all gently to incorporate the dressing. Halve the cherry tomatoes and toss them in just at the end, reserving a few to leave on top for color. Just before serving, tear a generous amount of fresh basil leaves and scatter over the top.

*I can’t stress enough how easy it is to cook chickpeas from scratch, as I know there are so many that are intimidated by it. The only thing required is a little foresight for the soaking and a spare hour to cook them. The results taste just so much better than the canned beans and save lots of energy, waste, and money in the long run. Dry chickpeas require soaking in plenty of cold water for at least 8 hours or so, after which they can simply be rinsed with more cold water, and cooked in a large pot with plenty of more water. Combine the soaked chickpeas with double the chickpea volume of fresh water, and bring this to a boil. Simmer the chickpeas at a light rolling boil for about an hour (with the lid half on), or until they are soft. You can add a teaspoon of salt to the water while cooking as well to add flavor. When soft, drain, rinse, and store the cooked beans in a container covered with water in the fridge (my mom packs them in small yoghurt containers and freezes them in hummus size portions). If you have yet to do this, I highly suggest it as the home cooked beans are superior in every way.

This salad is sturdy and will keep very well in the fridge. As it sits, it will get better and the flavors stronger, so enjoy it through the week as an add-on to a vegetable dinner or as a small nutritious packed lunch.

My garlic loving teenager ate this all up before I had a chance to enjoy, so that’s always the sign of a hit

Wish me a day of safe driving and I am sending you all love with a heart full of awesome. I’m kind of looking forward to returning to routine, and the countdown has surely started its march to September! I’m in! Let’s go!

Shira, Although I haven’t commented lately, I wanted to let you know that I am so grateful for your recipes. My husband recently has had a recurrence of prostate cancer and I am all about the nutrition side of this illness. Your recipes have made it so much easier for me to be creative during this time. Thank you so much.

LuAnn, I am sad to learn of your husbands condition and send you all my love & thoughts to help in his healing. It moves me a lot to hear that you are leaning on some of my recipes Way to charge ahead with the right approach — -please let me know if I can be of any more help. xxxox

I made this for a party the other day and it was absolutely delicious! I’m not a fan of olives so we left that out. So refreshing in this Florida sun and a great side for the bbq. Thanks for a great recipe! Definitely a keeper.

Just wanted to say that I make this salad ALL the time now–always in a big batches since it’s so good leftover. My FAVORITE summer salad, and always the hit of the party any time I bring it to a gathering! Thank you for the inspiration! (I add lots of extra onions and olives, because I love them so much!)
-Elise